Apparatus for reconditioning used oils



Nov. 20, 1934.

J. J. CARPENTER APPARATUS FOR- RECONDITIONING USED OILS Filed Aug. 31, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN VEN TOR.

dd CARPENTER NOV. 20, 1934. J J CARPENTER 1,981,089

APPARATUS FOR RECONDITIONING USED OILS Filed Aug. 31, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 g INVENTOR.

J11 CARPENTER Patented Nov. 20, 1934 1,981,089 APPARATUS FOR BgiggNDITIONING USED Jesse J. Carpenter, Fort Worth, Tex.

Application August 31, 1933, Serial No. 687,653

6 Claims. (01. 210-43) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE My invention relates to an apparatus for reconditioning used oils, and more particularly to a compact, simple structure which is adapted to be carried in the circulation of the crank-case oils of an engine and recondition the same during its passage therethrough; and the object is to provide a device which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and which has the minimum number of moving parts. Another object is to 10 provide a structure of this nature which will collect the carbon, dust particles, and other foreign substance from the oils and raise or lower the temperature of the oils to the correct temperature for efficient use.

An advantage of this invention is that the various parts are so arranged relative to each other so that they may be readily removed for cleaning, adjusting, or replacing the same without the use of special tools 'or the attention of an expert operator. Another advantage of this device is that the major parts or the individual units are each so constructed and coact with each other so that they may be individually removed for inspection and repair without dismantling the apparatus as a whole. Other objects and advantages will be explained in the following description and the invention will be more particularly pointed out in the claims.

Reference is had to the drawings which form a part of this application.

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of the device.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same showing the lid to the thermostatic chamber removed.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the device, showing the lid of the filtering chamber removed to illustrate .a plan view of the filtering basket or spool.

Fig. 4 is a similar view with the filtering basket removed to illustrate the desired position of the cooling tubes.

40 Fig. 5 is a detail view of the heatingunit and the well therefor.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the jacket and the projecting supports.

Fig. '7 is a detail view of the electrical switch for the heating element.

Fig. 8 is a view of one of the cooling tubes. Fig. 9 is a plan view of the settling chamber taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 1.

Similar characters of reference are used to indicate the same parts throughout the several views.

The device consists of a receiving or filtering chamber 1 and a settling chamber 2 suspended thereunder by means of a tube 3. The tube 3 5 is screwed into a boss 4 which is made integral with the top of the chamber. The other end of the tube passes through the chamber -1 and the chambers 1 and 2 are positioned a slight distance from each other to provide for cooling the oils during the passage of the oil from one chamber to the other. A supply pipe 5 is connected to the tube 3 so that the oil may be forced to flow into the lower portion of the tube 3 and out of the tube through a plurality of openings 6 into the upper portion of the filtering chamber 1.

The filtering chamber 1 is provided with a filtering unit which consists of a basket or spool device 7 that is adapted to contain a series of filtering tiers 8 or some other suitable porous material that the oils may pass through. When the oil passes through the filter basket 7 and its material 8 it is directed to the settling chamber 2 by means of a plurality of tubes 9 which interconnects the chamber 1 with the chamber 2. From the chamber 2 the oils are directed back to the crank case of a motor or to the place of use by way of a return pipe 12 which is connected to the chamber 2 by means of a T connection 10. Within the return pipe and adjacent the rear of the device is a heating element 30, as shown in Fig. 5. The installation of the heating element within the return pipe consists of a well 11, one end of whichis connected to the T connection 10 and the other end is connected to the continuation of the return pipe 12. I 5

The chamber 1 is positioned above the chamber 2 a sumcient distance to allow cooling capacity between the chamber 1 and the chamber 2. The tube 3 is provided with a collar 13 made rigid therewith above the chamber 2 and adapted to 9 support the chamber 1. The top of the tube 3 is adapted to extend through the lid 14 of the chamber 1 and the chamber 1 is held rigid on the tube by means of a thumb nut 15 which is screwed to the top of the'tube 3 and against the top of the lid 14. The nut 15 also serves as a cap for the top of'the tube 3. A boss 16 is formed on the bottom of and within the chamber 1 and this boss is adapted to act as a packing gland for the tubing 3 so that the liquid in the chamber 1 will not be permitted to seep through and out of the chamber 1 around the outside of the tube 3 into the space between the two chambers 1 and 2. The boss of the pack- A ing gland 16 is provided with packing and the my packing is held therein by means of a plug 17 The plug 17 serves as a base for the basket '7 to rest upon. A coil spring 18 is interposed between the inner surface of the lid 14 and the top of the basket 7 so that the tension thereof will force 1 0 the basket against the gland plug 1'7 and against the packing in the gland. The tension of the coil spring 18 also assists in keeping the spool or passage as it passes from the tube 3 into the packing or filtering material of the spool '7. The form of the spool or basket permits the same to be passed over the tube 3 and fit into the chamber 1 so that. when the nut 15 is removed the spring 4 18 and lid 14 may be removed and the spool '7 lifted from its chamber by means of a handle 21. The filtering material 8 of the spool 7 may be of any suitable material and the porosity of the same may be varied to conform with the quality of the oil that is directed through the mechanism. In this instance, the material is a porous substance which is formed into layers and supported in the spool by means of wire mesh, the whole being wound on the core 20 of the filtering unit so that the oil may pass through the pluralityof tiers, as shown in Fig. 1.'

Means are provided for controlling the temperature of the oils as it passes through the device. This consists of utilizing the wind current from the fan of a motor (not shown) or any suitable wind blast, and an electrical heating element, both of which are controlled thermostatically, and from the same thermostat. A hood 20 is provided around the device for controlling the flow of the cooling medium. The hood consists of a member adapted to encircle the portion of the device that faces the fan bl'ast'of the motor and is provided with a plurality of doors or shutters 24 for permitting the cooling medium to pass through the hood and into and around the-nest of tubes 9. The-hood 20 is held stationary on the device by means of an anchoring band 23 which is adapted to fit over and bind a projection 22 of the hood 20. A projection 21 is provided on the lower .portion of the hood 20 and this projection is adapted to rest upon the top of the chamber 2 and serve as a support for the hood.

The thermostatic control of the cooling, and

heating units of the device, consists of a thermostat 28 which is carried in the. settling chamber 2 and is adapted to actuate thedoors 24 and control the switch to the electrical heating eleoperative relation with the contents of the chamber 2. The thermostatic metal 28 is preferably formed into a U shape, one end of which is anchored to the side or face of the housing 2'7 and the other end is provided with a pivotally mounted link bar 29. I

The doors 24 of the hood 20 are pivotally mounted therein by means of hinges 25 which are each interconnected by a pivotally connected bar 26. The bar 26 is pivotally connected to each of the hinges of the doors so that the reciprocation of the same will cause the doors 24 to be opened and closed. The link bar 29 is pivotally connected to the movable or free end of the thermostatic metal 28 and to the link bar 26 so that when the thermostat 28 is caused to be actuated by the temperature of the oil in the chamber 2 and the doors 24 will be caused to-open and close by this action. It is apparent that by placing the well 11 or the heating element in the rear of the hood 20 that the doors and hood 20 will also assist in keeping the element 30 protected except at such times as when the doors are open for cooling the oils.

The movable end of the thermostatic metal 28. is also adapted to actuate the switch of the heater so that the electrical current from the battery of the motor will be directed through the same when it is necessary to heat the oil. The switch consists of a flexible member 32 which is carried in the side of the housing 2'7 adjacent the movable end of the thermostat 28. One end of the flexible member 32 is anchored to the side of the housing 2'7 by means of an insulated electrical-pole 31 and the other end is adapted to normally extend to a point opposite and adjacent an electrical pole 33 so-that when the thermostat 28 is moved by the fall of the temperature of the oil in the chamber 2, the thermostatic metal 28 will push the free end of the flexible member or switch 32 against the pole 33'and close the circuit from the source of supply to the heater element 30, through the poles 31 and 33 and their wires 34 and 35 respectively.

The thermostatic housing 2'7 is preferably an open faced. chamber, the opening of which is placed in the side of the chamber 2 adjacent the doors 24 of the hood 20, so that the link connections may be made between the thermostatic met- 23.1 28 and the doors 24'. A lid is provided for the opening of the housing 27, as shown in Fig. 9.

The curve of the lid 36 provides sumcient space for the reciprocation of the link 29 of the device which is adapted to pass through an opening 3'7 in the bottom of the hood 20 and up to and connect with the bar 26 of the doors 24. The illustrations show the hood 20 extended so as to direct a portion of the cooling medium around the filtering chamber of the device but it is apparent that the general shape and arrangement of the same may be made so as to encase such part of the device as would lend the desired amount of protectionfor oil passages and compartments. It is also apparent that many parts of the device may also be varied in their relations with each other without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The structure of the cooling tubes 9 and their position in the chamber 1 permits the same to be removed by means of a screw driver, thus permitting the operator of an automobile tomake' any necessary repairs en route without the necessity of special tools. This is also true of the various parts that go to make up the simple compact structure. The tubes 9 are each provided with a head which is slotted for accessibility in installation. When the tubes are screwed into the chamber 2 through the chamber 1 the heads of the tubes 9 will seat against acushion or fiber ring so that each may have packing at the point of their passage through the bottom of the chamber 1. This method of installing the tubes causes the tubes to tighten the chamber against the shoulder 13 of the tube 3.

What I claim is:

1., In an apparatus for reconditioning used oils consisting of a filtering chamber and a settling chamber, cooling tubes interposed between said chambers and interconnecting the same, a hood carried by said chambers and adapted to direct a cooling medium around said tubes, means for directing oil through said filtering chamber, tubes,

and into said settling chamber and directing the same to the place of use, a heater disposed in the passage of said oil, and thermostatic means for permitting the cooling medium to pass through said hood and control said heater.

2. In an apparatus for reconditioning used oils consisting of a filtering chamber and a settling chamber, cooling tubes interposed between the said chambers and adapted to convey oil from said filtering chamber to said settling chamber, means of conveying said oil from said settling chamber to the place of use, a heating element carried in said means of conveyance, a hood for said heating element and said tubes, and a thermostatic means for permitting the cooling element to pass through said hood and control said heating element.

3. In an apparatus for reconditioning used oils consisting of a filtering chamber having a removable filter, a settling chamber, a plurality of tubes connecting said chambers and adapted to convey oil from said filtering chamber to said settling chamber, said apparatus positioned within the circulation of used oils, heating means associated with said settling chamber for controlling the temperature ofsaid oils, and thermostatic means carried in said settling chamber for controlling a flow of cooling element around said tubes and control said heating element.

4. In an apparatus for reconditioning used oils consisting of a. filtering chamber having removable filtering elements, a settling chamber, tubes interposed between said chambers and adapted to convey oil from said filtering chamber to said settling chamber, a hood carried by said chambers and adapted to control the flow of a cooling medium around said tubes, said hood provided with doors for admitting said cooling medium, means for directing said oil from said settling chamber through an electrical heating element and to the place of use, a thermostat carried in said settling chamber and adapted to actuate said doors and control the electrical current to said heating element. 1

5. In an apparatus for reconditioning used oils comprising a filtering chamber and a settling chamber, cooling tubes interposed between said chambers and adapted to convey oil from said filtering chamber to said settling chamber, said tubes adapted to assist in holding said chambers in a rigid position relative to each other, means associated with said chambers for directing a cooling medium around said tubes, 2. heating element disposed adjacent said tubes and within the passageof said cooling medium for controlling the temperature of said oil, means for directing said oil from said settling chamber through said heating element to the place of use, and a thermostatic control for said cooling flow and said heating element carried in said settlin chamber.

6. In an,apparatus for reconditioning usedoils consisting of a filtering chamber and a settling chamber having tubes interposed therebetween and adapted to convey oils from one to the other of said chambers, means for conveying said oils from said chambers to the place of use, means for cooling said tubes, means for heating said means of conveyance, and a thermostat carried in said settling chamber for controlling said heating. and cooling means.

JESSE J. CARPENTER. 

